Pakistan

A man wades through floodwaters at a market in Sehwan, Pakistan, on Sept. 6. Many of the international aid groups that would normally be stepping in to help are barred from the country.
Natural disasters

Floods press Pakistan to lift NGO bans imposed after bin Laden raid

Calls grow for Islamabad to put aside suspicions, tap funds and expertise

7 September 2022
The Afghan Taliban's Acting Minister of Defense Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob accused Pakistan of allowing the U.S. to use its airspace for the drone strike that killed al-Qaida's leader.
International relations

Pakistan-Taliban drone strike spat keeps ties in downward spiral

Afghan rulers needle Islamabad over killing of al-Qaida chief, cozy up to India

2 September 2022
The dollar's nominal effective exchange rate against a broad basket of currencies, including from both advanced and emerging economies, is now at one of its highest points since it started publicizing the data in 1994. 
Currencies

Superstrong dollar threatens debt crisis across emerging economies

Mexico pressured to follow Fed hikes, while Sri Lanka's repayment costs soar

2 September 2022
Nowshera, in Pakistan's province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Aug. 29: The climate minister has said that a third of the country has been flooded.
Economy

Flood-hit Pakistan faces swirling risks despite IMF lifeline

$1.1bn loan eases fears of default but climate and politics pummel Sharif government

30 August 2022
Inflation is forcing many households in Pakistan to cut back on meals. 
Your Week in Asia

IMF decision on Pakistan, China PMI, Macao junket king's trial

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

28 August 2022
A woman walks on a flooded road in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on Aug. 24. Authorities say over 3,000 kilometers of roads have been damaged and around 670,000 homes have collapsed.
Natural disasters

Pakistan floods hit millions as political storm hinders response

Cash-strapped Sharif government banks on international assistance

27 August 2022
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, addresses an anti-government rally in Islamabad on Aug. 20, when he made controversial statements against police and a judge.
Politics

Imran Khan lands in court on terror, other charges: 5 things to know

Pakistan ex-PM spared arrest for now but faces possible disqualification, prison

25 August 2022
Gwadar's seafront under development in February 2021: Local experts say a railway is crucial to make the city a successful major port.
Belt and Road

Oman offer to build Gwadar railway conjures Pakistan port's past

Singaporean investment also weighed as Belt and Road stop lacks train access

24 August 2022
Protesters carry traditional kerosene lanterns during a demonstration against fuel price increases in Dhaka. Kerosene now costs the equivalent of about $1.20 per liter, versus 84 cents before hikes on several types of fuel. (Photo by Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Politics

Bangladesh anger over fuel prices echoes Sri Lanka, Pakistan

Political pressure mounts as nation joins neighbors in seeking IMF aid

17 August 2022
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The Big Story

Confrontation to conflagration: Asia's six likeliest wars

A shifting balance of power may reignite frozen conflicts from North Korea to Pakistan

17 August 2022
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the crowd after addressing the nation during Independence Day celebrations in Delhi on Aug. 15.
Politics

India cheers 75 years of independence, recalls partition 'horrors'

Modi promises developed nation in 25 years; Pakistan claims 'hypocrisy'

15 August 2022
A Taliban fighter stands guard at a livestock market in Kabul on July 8. The country has fallen into a severe economic crisis during the group's first year back in power.
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban 2.0, one year on: Afghanistan withers under iron-fist rule

Sanctions-hit economy at standstill as specter of terrorism haunts nation

15 August 2022
Students carry a giant Indian national flag during a "Tiranga Yatra" rally as part of celebrations commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence, in Ahmedabad, India, on Aug. 8. 
Your Week in Asia

World War II anniversary, Najib's final appeal, Tencent results

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

14 August 2022
Pakistani troops patrol the border with Afghanistan in the Khyber region in August 2021. Experts say the Taliban's takeover in Kabul that month is having ripple effects now.
Terrorism

Pakistan's northwest hit by deadly wave of militancy

Experts say attacks are fallout from Taliban's rise in Afghanistan

14 August 2022
Pakistani and Chinese flags fly above a construction site in Gwadar, Pakistan. Much of the construction associated with the Belt and Road Initiative in the town remains unfinished. 
The Big Story

Road to nowhere: China's Belt and Road Initiative at tipping point

Pakistan, Sri Lanka debt crises threaten Beijing's regional influence

10 August 2022
A member of Pakistan's navy guards Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan Province: Security poses a challenge as separatists threaten Chinese and other foreign investment projects.
International relations

Pakistan insurgents behind China attacks threaten Barrick Gold mine

Experts see project as a key test as cash-strapped country seeks more investment

7 August 2022
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Podcast

Asia Stream: Pakistan's Debt & Divisions

We examine the multitude of crises facing Pakistan 75 years after the partition

3 August 2022
A Taliban fighter stands guard near the site in Kabul where al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a U.S. strike over the weekend.
Terrorism

Zawahri strike puts Taliban in tight spot between U.S., jihadis

Afghan rulers take heat for hosting al-Qaida boss -- and failing to protect him

2 August 2022
Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on April 7: The prime minister is finding little room to maneuver.
Opinion

Pakistan's cooling ties with China are not improving under Sharif

'All weather' friendship under stress from terror attacks and IMF demands

1 August 2022
Supporters of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party celebrate outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, after it ordered that the PTI's candidate should be made chief minister of Punjab on July 26.
Politics

Pakistan PM in tight spot after court forces Punjab power transfer

Experts say confrontation threatens to paralyze Sharif's government

30 July 2022
Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, is widely regarded as the country's most powerful man.
International relations

Pakistan army chief appeals to U.S. in rush to avoid debt default

Sources say unusual move aimed at speeding up $1.2bn dispersal by IMF

29 July 2022
Pakistanis are being forced to make uncomfortable choices, including leaving the country.
Asia Insight

Pakistan's punishing inflation changes life as 225m people know it

Poor skimp on food while those better off carpool, buy solar, aim to emigrate

26 July 2022
A trader counts U.S. dollars at a currency exchange in Peshawar: Pakistan will need $41 billion over the next 12 months, its finance minister has said.
Economy

Pakistan's IMF deal offers economic pain relief but no panacea

Political instability threatens to derail efforts to regain confidence of key lenders

23 July 2022
Road traffic in Karachi on July 5: Changing the military's corporate approach is likely to create the space for broader economic reforms.
Opinion

Pakistan's military-run enterprises need upgrade to revive economy

Corporate empire has potential to be globally competitive

21 July 2022
Indian workers carry sacks of food grains and vegetables onto a supply truck at a wholesale market in Kolkata on July 19.
Economy

ADB cuts Asia's growth forecast to 4.6%, lifts inflation outlook

Ukraine war crimps growth, spurs price rises in emerging Asia

21 July 2022